Bed boxes - Good Idea? Bad Idea?

[nekoshii]

I have had Cielo, a male pacific parrotlet, since he was 5 weeks old. When he was old enough to move into his cage, I gave him a small cardboard box filled with tissues to sleep in, and he simply loved it! Whenever he was tired, he would climb back into his cage, crawl into his box, and sleep. He is now 7 months old, and I still leave the box in his cage for him to sleep in, and he so does every night without fail. It's pretty cold here, where I live, and I can't think of a better way for him to keep warm at night. I've bought him a heated perch, but it was too plastic-y and had absolutely no grip. He also never warmed up to it.

I've read that giving a bird a bed box could encourage nesting behavior. What does that mean, exactly, and would that affect male birds? He is not at all territorial about his box, and lets me remove it for cleaning without any trouble at all. Also, he is very well socialized and deals very well with people - he's just a bit nippy sometimes. Would letting him keep his bed box cause any problems in the future?

Thank you for your input!

[zazanomore]

A lot of people keep nest boxes and little snuggle tents in their birds cages. I say, if there is no negative behavior coming out of it, then just leave it.

[Kim S]

I would not reccomend it. But since yours is so take by it, heres my view on it.
As long as he he is a definate male, doesnt become terrotorial about it and you dont buy him a mate, theres no problem.

But...
If shes a girl, she might start laying eggs when she is sexually mature. This can trigger all sorts of unwanted behavior. Getting sexually interested in you to a very annoying extent. Depleting her own resourses by laying egg after egg after egg and not being able to finish the brood. Sitting hours and hours on the nest without getting something outof it. After three weeks she will give up, and start a new nest. Depleting herself even more.

You say he is seven months old now. I dont know when parotlets mature. But you might get into trouble when he is sexually mature.
At baby, he was looking for a warm nest just like his mommies. At adult, he is looking for a nest to produce his own young.